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That’s Amore! What To Pack For Your Honeymoon in Italy

With its rolling countryside landscapes, lush vineyards, historic towns and mouth-watering cuisine, Italy is as romantic as it gets. This popular post-wedding vacation destination oozes honeymoon spirit. That said, it can be difficult for newlyweds to decide what to pack for their Italian escape. Packing for the honeymoon often gets lost in the shuffle of planning the wedding. If you are bound for Italy, you can use this simple guide to help you pack so that you can enjoy la dolce vita on your honeymoon.

Dresses, Dresses and Dresses!

Italians tend to be polished and incredibly stylish in terms of their dress. You can do the same on your Italian honeymoon by avoiding shorts and t-shirts and instead opting for dresses. In Italy, dresses are always seen as fashionable and refined, so you can blend in with the locals with very little effort. By packing dresses, you can also save room in your suitcase since you won't be packing separate tops and bottoms. Dresses work as well at night as they do during the day. You can wear the same dress for sightseeing and dining out.

Walking Sandals and a Wedge Heel

Italians are quite fashionable when it comes to their footwear. As many destinations here require a great deal of walking, you need to pack a sandal that is comfortable AND fashionable. Keep in mind: this is not the time to find out if a sandal is comfortable for walking. You don’t want to be in pain on your Italian honeymoon. Be sure you pack a pair that you have already broken in and that you know are comfortable. In addition to a pair of walking sandals, honeymooners will also require fancier footwear for fine dinners out. A wedge heal tends to work better in Italy than a traditional heal because you will often be walking on uneven cobblestone.

Sunscreen, Bug Spray and More

Your traditional toiletries are necessary on any honeymoon, but in Italy, you will want to stash several specialty items in your cosmetic bag. Firstly, a pumice stone should be on your packing list. Italy often requires a great deal of walking. Nothing can kill romance quite like scratchy, flaky feet. To keep your feet feeling and looking honeymoon-ready throughout your trip, a pumice stone can come in handy.

In addition to keeping your feet feeling honeymoon fresh, your skin needs to be protected from the Italian sun. Sunscreen is worth bringing with you from home because it is quite expensive in Italy. It is also hard to find an SPF over 10. If you burn easily, sunscreen is a must on your honeymoon. You don't want to look like a lobster in all of your honeymoon photos. Along the same lines, giant mosquito bites can put a damper on the romance. In Italy, particularly in the summer in popular destinations like Florence and Venice, mosquitoes are everywhere. Bug repellent can keep these biting insects at bay and save you from itching throughout your whole honeymoon.

The All-Purpose Pashmina

If you are honeymooning in Italy, chances are you will be sightseeing at many of its historic churches and holy sites. You can’t walk into these spaces with bare shoulders. An easy way to cover up and still beat the heat is to toss a pashmina into your bag to use when you enter these spaces. In addition to functioning as a sightseeing saver, a pashmina can also be used as a pillow or blanket on the long plane ride to Italy.

Other Packing Tips and Tricks For a Summer Honeymoon in Italy

Fashion and style can vary from person to person, but one important packing tip to keep in mind for any Italian honeymoon is to travel light. If you are traveling by train, you want to be able to board and get off with relative ease. It can also be difficult to navigate cobblestone streets with a large, cumbersome bag. An easy packing-light strategy for Italy is to pick one color as your accent color and intermix that color with neutrals. You can get more bang for your buck in terms of outfits by being able to mix and match different combinations.

A wine opener might be a good accessory to pack as well. Italy is known the world over for its wines, and you want to be able to enjoy the country’s best bottles at a moment’s notice.

Your Turn…

Did you honeymoon in Italy? What other essential items would you add to this packing list?

After a childhood of keeping road trips interesting around the U.S, stints in Western Europe as an angsty teen and a study abroad year in Italy in college, I decided to make traveling and writing my way of living. My travels are laced with hints of a redheaded temperament, proof that my hair color is indeed natural. SuzyGuese.com is where I solve packing predicaments, blurt out my travel secrets, rant about nomad injustices and share where the road takes me in hopes that it might take you there too.